


Love You as a Lover, Love You as a Friend

by hunkyharris (orphan_account)



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: High School AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2014-12-09
Packaged: 2018-02-28 18:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2742428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/hunkyharris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bo’s always knew who Dean was, it was kind of hard not to, since he got into more trouble than any kid at the high school, but he hadn’t really met Dean until they were paired together as lab partners in chemistry. <br/>Ever since then, Dean’s come around Bo a few times and even sat with him in lunch occasionally, only to mock the healthy lunches that Bo’s mother had packed for him. <br/>But, that still doesn’t answer the question as to why Dean’s standing outside Bo’s house at 2 in the morning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love You as a Lover, Love You as a Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so remember how I said that I would maybe get around to attempt writing for another pairing? Well, here it is! Now, I don’t really know how you guys feel about Bo/Dean, (I haven’t decided what their ship name will be, yet. Ambrallas, maybe?), but personally, I love the idea. This just kinda happened on accident and I didn’t even mean to ship it, but I saw where Dean was talking about his driving experience with Bo, and, well, you know. But, anyway, here’s a high school Bo/Dean AU.   
> Also, thanks to you guys for the kudos and support and such, if it wasn't for you, I never would have been able to work up the nerve to let my fics see the light of day, so thanks, it's really appreciated.

Bo jerks awake when he hears something tapping against his bedroom window.

He almost considers waking up his parents or maybe even Husky (but that would be futile, regarding the fact that Husky was more likely to kick _Bo’s_ ass for waking him up) as he stares at his window through the darkness. When nothing happens and the tapping ceases, Bo thinks maybe he just imagined it and lays back down. He closes his eyes and tries lulling himself back to sleep.

“Bo,” His eyes snap open again when he hears a voice from outside. “come to the window, you fucking loser.”

The voice is familiar and Bo has a suspicion as to who it is waking him up at this time of night, and when he walks over to the window and pushes the curtain aside, his suspicion is confirmed.

Dean Ambrose stands outside, holding a handful of small pebbles as he glares up at Bo.

Bo wouldn’t really think of himself as being _friends_ with Dean, they’ve never really hung out together or anything, and Bo clearly doesn’t fit the criteria of Dean’s usual buddies.

Which, Dean doesn’t have that many friends, Bo’s noticed, he’s usually just seen with two other guys. Bo’s learned that their names are Seth and Roman, and he’s heard Dean talk about them a few times.

Roman’s your average popular high school athlete, being a star football player and possessing highly attractive features that could get him any girl he wanted. Seth, on the other hand, is completely different, he’s extremely intelligent, being the top of all his classes, but Bo wouldn’t go as far as to call him a _nerd_ or anything, or at least let Seth hear Bo call him that, because like both Roman and Dean, Seth could still beat him up.

Together with Dean, they are one of the most mismatched group of friends Bo has ever seen, but they get along well enough.

Bo’s always knew who Dean was, it was kind of hard not to, since he got into more trouble than any kid at the high school, but he hadn’t really met Dean until they were paired together as lab partners in chemistry.

Ever since then, Dean’s come around Bo a few times and even sat with him in lunch occasionally, only to mock the healthy lunches that Bo’s mother had packed for him.

But, that still doesn’t answer the question as to why Dean’s standing outside Bo’s house at 2 in the morning.

“Open the door,” Dean’s saying when Bo opens his window. “I wanted to see you for a minute.”

“Why?” Bo hisses out, afraid to get his voice above a whisper, because he doesn’t need his parents nor his brother awake to walk in on him sneaking some kid into their house.

“Just open the damn door, Bo,” Dean calls back, and Bo can hear the impatience in his voice, so without further argument, he closes the window and rushes downstairs to the front door as quietly as he can.

When he opens the door, Dean’s already brushing past him into the house, and Bo sees that he hasn’t changed out of the clothes that he wore that day to school.

It’s not until Bo successfully sneaks Dean back up to his bedroom that he notices Dean’s black eye and the few scrapes and cuts adorning his skin.

“Oh my gosh,” Bo’s turned on his bedside lamp so the room is illuminated in its faint glow. “what happened to you?”

“Got jumped by a few assholes in the mall parking lot,” Dean shrugs like it’s no big deal, and maybe to him, it’s not, but it certainly is to Bo. “tried taking my money and my weed, I wasn’t gonna go down without a fight, now was I?”

“You have _drugs_?” Bo gapes at Dean like it’s the most offending thing he’s ever heard, and it’s probably the only thing he heard. “you’re not old enough to have drugs.”

“Says you,” Dean takes out said drugs: a perfectly rolled joint and a flick lighter, and Bo almost has a heart attack.

“ _No_ , oh my gosh, Dean,” Bo’s voice is panicked, and he’s struggling to keep himself quiet. “put that away, my parents would _kill_ me if-”

“Relax,” Dean obligingly stuffs the joint and lighter back inside his pocket, laughing at Bo’s hysteria. “god, you act like I just pulled a fucking gun on you or something.”

“Whatever,” now Bo’s embarrassed, and he’s pretty sure he’s blushing, which could only add to his embarrassment. “your eye looks pretty bad, maybe I should go and get some ice or something-”

“No, no,” Dean waves off Bo’s offer, brushing past him to go sit on the edge of his bed. “I didn’t come here to be fucking pitied, I’m fine.”

“Why did you come here,” Bo realizes how rude the words sound and quickly adds onto it to make it somewhat less rude. “I mean, not that I mind or anything, I enjoy your company-”

“What,” Dean fakes offense. “I can’t visit my favorite dweeb every now and again?”

“How did you even know where I live?” Bo’s curious.

“We ride the same bus, you know.”

Bo’s only rode the bus about a handful of times, usually Husky takes him back and forth from school and sometimes his parents will give him a ride. But in the few times Bo has rode the bus, he’s never noticed Dean before.

“Oh,” Bo acts like he knew this all along. “yeah, right.”

Dean doesn’t say anything else, taking sudden interest in Bo’s sophomore yearbook from last year that’s lying on the floor near his bed. Dean picks it up and starts reading through the farewell messages scrawled inside the cover from a few of Bo’s friends and teachers (mostly teachers).

“Dear Bo, You’re adopted. Your fake brother, Husky,” Dean apparently gets to Husky’s message and reads it out loud, snorting to himself.

“Yeah,” Bo says, and the moment couldn’t be more _awkward_ , because Bo’s just standing there, unsure of what to do, he’s tired and he’d really like to go back to bed, but he can’t with Dean roaming freely around the house. Dean doesn’t seem effected by it in the least, or maybe he just doesn’t notice Bo’s discomfort. “he can be kind of a jerk sometimes, I guess.”

“Nah,” Dean glances up at Bo, and he’s smiling. “your brother’s pretty cool, he plays football with Ro.”

Bo isn’t sure what makes him notice just how bad Dean’s wounds are, but he does, and Dean should really get those cleaned up before they get infected. Dean’s already lost in the yearbook again, laughing at Bo’s picture, saying something about how dorky he looks.

“There’s a, uh, first aid kit in the bathroom,” Bo says, and Dean’s attention is back on him. “I could help you bandage those up.”

“Alright,” surprisingly, Dean obliges, tossing Bo’s yearbook back to the floor and stands up.

He follows Bo silently to the small bathroom across the hall and leans back against the sink as Bo rummages through the medicine cabinet.

Dean watches Bo as he pulls out the first aid kid, grabbing some cotton balls, along with rubbing alcohol and a few bandages. There’s this look of concentration on Bo’s face, the same expression Dean remembers him wearing when he’d be working on their chemistry project.

It was the first time Dean realized just how nice Bo’s face was.

Bo’s not a bad looking kid at all, Dean has to admit. He’s _pretty_. He’s got a pretty face and pretty hair that looks better than most of the girls’ at their school, and pretty eyes, and the guy’s just fucking _pretty_.

The focused expression never fades, even as Bo rolls up Dean’s sleeves, revealing more of the nasty cuts and bruises, and Dean braces himself as Bo gently presses a moistened swab against one of them. Dean winces at the inevitable sting and Bo mumbles out a quick apology.

“How often does this happen,” Bo asks the first question that comes to mind, trying to take Dean’s mind off the pain as he continues to clean Dean’s wounds.

“More often than not,” Dean admits. “fighting’s kinda became a hobby for me.”

“Can’t you find a _safer_ hobby,” Bo asks. “one that doesn’t get you in the hospital?”

“Yeah, I’ll just join the chess club and become a super nerd like you,” Bo refrains from reminding Dean that he’s not even in the chess club, but it kinda hurts his feelings anyway. “No, thanks.”

Dean must notice the look of offense contorted on Bo’s face now, because he’s quickly adding a “I’m just kidding.” It’s a half-assed apology but Bo can recognize Dean’s sincerity.

“Besides,” Dean keeps talking, but noticeably winces when Bo goes to clean the cut above Dean’s eyebrow. “this is _nothing_ compared to the other guys, I mean, you should see them, they’ll be in the hospital for a few months _at least_.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Bo finds himself smiling. But, he’s not being sarcastic, he’s seen Dean fight before.

A silence settles between them, and Dean’s eyes never leave Bo’s face as he finishes disinfecting Dean’s wounds and bandages them up.

It’s nice to have someone to come to when you’re broken, Dean thinks, as Bo steps back to admire his work. He just never really intended on it being Bo Dallas. Dean wasn’t too far away from Bo’s neighborhood when he got jumped, and he truthfully just happened to stumble across Bo’s house as he wandered around, debating on whether to go back home or not.

His mother wouldn’t give a shit if Dean crawled in through the door, every bone in his body broken. Whichever boyfriend she had this week sure as hell wouldn’t care, but would happily put Dean out of his misery.

But, it’s nice to know that Bo actually cares for Dean, because he knows there’s not a lot of people in the world that can actually say that.

“Hey, uh,” Dean clears his throat. “thanks for all this, I really appreciate it, you know.”

“No problem,” Bo says, and he gives Dean a smile that lets him know that he means it. “are you sure you don’t want something for your eye?”

“No, I’ll be fine, it’s just a-” Dean starts to wave him off but when he looks up, Bo is already disappearing out of the bathroom and down the hall.

Moments later, when Bo returns, he’s clutching a bag of frozen peas in his hand and Dean’s already returned to Bo’s bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed again.

“Aren’t your parents gonna wonder where their side dish went?” Dean says when Bo hands him the bag, hissing slightly when he brings it against his swollen and badly bruised eye.

“No,” Bo sits down beside him. “unless they get a craving for peas at 3 in the morning.”

“Sarcasm,” Dean smirks at Bo approvingly. “didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Yeah, maybe I’ve spent too much time around you.”

“Maybe,” Dean means to say something else, but the words fail him when he sees Bo staring directly at him.

Another beat passes between them, their gazes locked on each other, not saying anything, just enjoying the silence.

Bo absentmindedly examines Dean’s face, how it looks almost softly boyish when you get past the hardened results of years living a rough life. His eyes drop down to the rest of Dean’s body, looking among the faded scars and bruises on his exposed tan skin, it was like Dean wore them in pride, never letting himself nor the world forget just what he’d all been through in such a short amount of time.

Dean was easy to look at, and Bo could see why all the girls at their school wanted to be with him.

"You wanna kiss me, don't you?" The words sound accusatory, laced with that familiar smugness that Bo knew well.

And, yeah, Bo does wanna kiss him.

Bo is broken out of his trance, and his eyes automatically go to the floor, already thinking up some excuse because he can’t just _agree_ that he wants to kiss Dean, but he remains silent. The silence seems to answer for him, though, because when Bo meets Dean’s gaze again, he sees that Dean’s smirking at him knowingly.

Dean leans in, so suddenly that it takes a moment for Bo to catch up with what’s happening, and he lets his lips hover over Bo's, prompting Bo to make the first move.

When he presses his lips against Dean's, initiating a desperate but gentle kiss, Bo can taste the alcohol and cigarettes on Dean's breath.

Dean’s hand is on Bo’s jaw and Bo has his arms slung around Dean’s neck, and the moment is so nice and the two of them are so focused on each other, nothing could possibly ruin it. The thought of his parents walking in on them passes through Bo’s mind but disappears as quickly as it came when he realizes that Dean’s deepened the kiss and is now gently easing him back onto the mattress.

Bo lets his eyes flutter open long enough to see Dean reach up and turn off the lamp, surrounding them in complete darkness before Dean’s lips are back on his. Bo’s been kissed before, (most of them from innocent childhood games when he and his pretty neighbor would pretend they were husband and wife) but never like this. It also doesn’t hurt that Dean obviously knows what he’s doing.

Dean’s got Bo pinned down to the bed with his weight, one hand pressed into the mattress beside Bo’s head and the other softly caressing at Bo’s waist. Bo is really unsure of what to do with his hands in this moment, so he just takes to clutching at Dean’s shirt, and lets himself fall into the kiss.

But, a moment of sheer panic rushes through Bo when he feels Dean’s hand slip underneath his shirt.

“No,” Bo breathes out, his lips brushing against Dean’s. “we can’t.”

“Oh,” Dean tries masking the disappointment in his voice. “I mean, _yeah_ , I know.”

Bo can feel Dean’s arousal against his thigh from where Dean’s leaning down on him, and he wants this just as bad as Dean does, probably even more, but they just can’t right now. Not here, in Bo’s house, where they can be walked in on at any moment. They just _can’t_.

Dean pushes himself off of Bo, and Bo has to squash down the whine building up in his throat, so instead, he just mourns the loss silently. Bo knows that he probably won’t get the opportunity again and part of him just wants to pull Dean back on top of him and risk the chance.

“I’m sorry,” Bo says, watching Dean put his jacket back on that Bo wasn’t even aware he had thrown off.

“It’s fine, no problem,” Dean shrugs. “I mean, I understand, you know, we couldn’t just have sex in here, it’d be disrespectful to your-” the sentence breaks off as Dean jabs a thumb in the direction towards the hall.

“Yeah,”

Dean lets his stare linger on Bo for a moment longer before heading towards the door.

“Wait,” Bo nearly springs up from his position on the bed. “I just wanna know that this, what just happened, wasn’t for nothing, I mean, you actually like me, right?”

“Yeah,” Bo doesn’t have to look at Dean to see him smiling. “yeah, I like you.”

“Good,” Bo allows himself to release a breath of relief. “I like you, too.”

“Good,” Dean parrots, and he’s still lingering near the door and Bo isn’t sure if he wants him to walk him out or something.

“Uh, would it be too much to ask if I could,” Dean’s gaze has fallen to his feet, and he’s rubbing at the back of his neck. “just like _hold_ you, you know, until you fell asleep?”

Bo finds himself caught off guard by the question, and he knows he should probably say no, but his heart overrides his brain, and before Bo knows it, he’s nodding, and Dean’s crawling back onto his bed, settling down beside him.

Bo rolls over on his side so his back is nestled against Dean’s front, and Dean snakes an arm around Bo’s waist, pulling him in closer. This is certainly new territory for Bo, and Dean hasn’t had much experience with _cuddling_ , but they take comfort in the way their bodies feel against each other’s, fitting together almost perfectly.

Bo’s hair smells of shampoo and Dean buries his nose in deeper, a contented sigh falling past his lips. Bo grins.

“Good night, Dean,” Bo says, allowing his eyes to slide shut but the smile never leaves his face.

“Good night, princess,” Dean replies teasingly and Bo’s smile only grows.

Bo is already fast asleep when Dean carefully gets up, placing a feather-light kiss on his temple, and sneaks out the door.

\- - - -

The next morning, Bo wakes to Husky shoving at his shoulder a little rougher than necessary.

“Get up,” he hears him say, and it’s enough to break him from his sleep-induced trance. “you’re gonna be late for school, and I’m not waiting on you.”

Bo opens his eyes to see Husky still dressed in his pajamas, a toothbrush hanging from his mouth.

“I’m up,” Bo mumbles out and Husky gives an annoyed sigh before leaving the room.

The events of last night come flooding back to Bo and he almost flips out of bed when he thinks that maybe Dean’s still beside him. But, luckily, he’s not, and Bo finds himself staring at the empty space beside him, and he’s not completely sure if last night happened or not.

It could have easily been a dream, and with that thought, Bo’s heart sinks.

When he swings his legs around the side of the bed and stands up, something falls to the floor, and Bo sees that it’s a peice of paper. Bo bends down to pick it up, unfolds it and reads the scratchy handwriting.

**You’re pretty when you sleep, princess. See you at school.**

Bo smiles as he reads the note over again.

It wasn’t a dream at all.

Bo quickly shoves the note underneath his bed so nobody can find it, and walks downstairs for breakfast with a certain air of confidence that follows him throughout the rest of the day.


End file.
